Town 1-1 Barnsley
Friday, 1st Nov 2013 21:53

Barnsley sub Jim O’Brien’s 70th minute equaliser claimed his side’s first away point of the season at Portman Road. Daryl Murphy headed the Blues in front in the 41st minute with Town on top, but the visitors were the better side after the break. Aaron Cresswell was sent off after the final whistle for foul and abusive language after Town were denied a late penalty when Frank Nouble appeared to be brought down.

On Mick McCarthy’s first anniversary as Blues boss, Town were unchanged for a seventh successive match for the first time since a club record 12-game run in the 1991/92 Second Division Championship-winning campaign.

Striker Paul Taylor, who was recalled from his loan at Peterborough on Wednesday, was on the bench, while former Blue Jason Scotland was amongst the Tykes’ subs.

Neither side managed a shot on goal in an uneventful opening 10 minutes. On 12 Tommy Smith required treatment for a head wound after an aerial clash with Chris O’Grady, the centre-half returning to the fray sporting a bandage.

The game gradually started to come to life. Luke Chambers lost out to Tykes’ skipper Martin Crainie from a Paul Anderson cross from the right in the 17th minute, then Dean Gerken claimed a through ball ahead of Marcus Pedersen. A minute later, Daryl Murphy diverted a Ryan Tunnicliffe cross well wide.

On 23 Aaron Cresswell wasted a freekick on the right by hitting a shot into the Barnsley wall when he should have crossed. The ball looped up to Luke Hyam, who headed the ball into the area, Smith nodded it on ahead of Tykes’ keeper Jack Butland, but over the bar.

At the other end, Gerken came out to clear ahead of Pedersen with his feet. He ball fell to Paddy McCourt who shot towards the open goal but Cresswell blocked and the Town keeper claimed. Almost immediately, play switched to the other end and Anderson scraped a shot over.

Town were starting to get on top and in the 27th minute Cresswell’s cross from the left deflected off Cranie to Butland, the keeper, who was at Portman Road with the England U21s last month, reacting well to save.

Just before the half hour David McGoldrick lashed wildly off target with former Barnsley loanee Tunnicliffe better placed to his left.

Town were dominating possession and on 33 Chambers found McGoldrick with a pass over the top from deep but the frontman lost his footing when well placed. The Blues quickly regained possession, however, and Cresswell smashed a cross shot which flew only narrowly wide of Butland’s left post. Two minutes later Chambers headed over from a corner.

The Blues got the goal their pressure deserved in the 41st minute. Cresswell sent over a corner from the left and Murphy rose highest to head the ball down and into the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Town looking to increase their lead over the Tykes, who lost Jacob Mellis to an injury two minutes before the break, Anderson hitting a low shot through to Butland.

The Blues were worthy of their lead at the break. After the game had begun in a very understated manner, Town got on top and had threatened a number of occasions before Murphy’s goal. Barnsley, defeated in all six of their away games so far this season, had rarely threatened Gerken’s goal.

Murphy hit a weak shot to Butland early in the second half, then on 50 O’Grady forced Gerken to save well to his right with a 25-yard shot after Pedersen’s knockdown.

Tunnicliffe sent a low ball across the face of Barnsley’s goal in the 51st minute, before Tykes sub Jim O’Brien shot over.

On 54 Chambers almost played McGoldrick in with a superb ball over the Barnsley backline from inside his own half. However, Butland came off his line quickly to claim ahead of the Town striker.

Barnsley started to get the upper hand, keeping hold of the ball better than the Blues with the home crowd beginning to get frustrated. However, other than a blocked O’Grady effort they’d failed to create a significant opportunity.

Cole Skuse volleyed wide on 63 but it was still mainly Barnsley, Pedersen throwing himself unsuccessfully at a 66th minute cross from the left. The Norwegian had an even better opportunity two minutes later but curled a shot over when in space on the edge of the Town box.

Moments later, the Blues switched Anderson, who had drifted out of the game in the second half, for Jay Tabb, Tunnicliffe moving to the right.

The visitors netted the goal that their second half performance had deserved in the 70th minute. After Town had failed to deal with a cross from the right, McCourt chipped back into the box, Smith and O’Grady challenged in the air and the loose ball fell to O’Brien, whose low shot beat Gerken to his right.

O’Brien hit another effort not far over soon after his goal, then Murphy headed a Cresswell corner over. Ex-Blue Scotland came on for the final 16 minutes for Pedersen.

Two minutes after coming on the Trinidad and Tobago international, who had received warm applause from his old fans, was nodded in on goal by O’Grady, but Christophe Berra got back to challenge as he looked to shoot.

Skuse teed up Chambers just outside the area in the 77th minute, the right-back lashing a shot which Butland failed to hold on to with Tabb unlucky that the loose ball didn’t fall to him.

Blues boss Mick McCarthy swapped Frank Nouble and Paul Taylor for Tunnicliffe and McGoldrick with the Town top scorer’s departure met with boos.

With four minutes remaining former Blue Scotland had a chance to seal it for the visitors. A freekick from deep on the left reached the 34-year-old, but he slammed his shot into the sidenetting.

The visitors were looking the more likely winners and a goalmouth scramble following a corner eventually saw Berra clear Crane’s effort from inside the six-yard box. O’Brien again went close in the 88th minute but could only divert a ball over the top into Gerken’s arms.

Town began to put on the pressure as scheduled time ran down, Tabb’s shot from Chambers’s cross from the right deflecting wide with Nouble making a despairing lunge at the far post. Tabb’s corner hit the first man.

The Blues had what looked to be a good shout for a penalty in injury time when Nouble turned past Jean Yves M’voto and looked to be tripped by the defender, albeit coupled with a fair amount of shirt pulling on both parts, but despite vehement protests from the Town players referee Andy D’Urso waved away the complaints.

The arguments continued as the players left the field and Cresswell was red-carded after the whistle had gone for foul and abusive language.

On the balance of what was a poor game overall, Barnsley were worth their point. While the Blues had been the better of two disappointing sides before the break, the South Yorkshiremen were on top for most of the second half with Town as poor as they’ve been at home for some time.

Mick McCarthy will be disappointed that his team failed to claim all three points having been ahead on home turf and also with Cresswell’s needless late, late dismissal.

Town: Gerken, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Cresswell, Anderson (Tabb 69), Hyam, Skuse, Tunnicliffe (Taylor 82), Murphy, McGoldrick (Nouble 82). Unused: Loach, Hewitt, Mings, Edwards.

Barnsley: Butland, Kennedy, Cranie, O'Grady, Perkins, Wiseman, Pedersen (Scotland 74), Mellis (O'Brien 43), M'voto, Fox, McCourt (Etuhu 81). Unused: Hassell, Dibble, Cywka, Jennings. Referee: Andy D’Urso (Billericay). Att: 18,361 (Barnsley: 175).

Photo: Action Images

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blues1 added 22:20 - Nov 1 Timmy h. Agree with most of what you say but ur comment about the attandances getting smaller sound a bit daft considering(and take note wewerefamous), the crowd tonight was the largest of the last few matches with almost 18,500 there.
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Stato added 22:25 - Nov 1 dire
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Notts_tractor added 22:26 - Nov 1

Agree Old Clacton. For me we were a much more effective attcking unit with Hewitt at RB. Chambers is a CB and has no inclination to get forward like Cresswell. Plus, we looked far more solid with Smith and Chambers together. Berra's not a bad player, but it seems that MCCarthy feels he has to accommodate him, which means Hewitt is marginalised and we have no attacking threat down the right.

Tractastic added 22:28 - Nov 1

A shocking midfield performance..again? Chambers and Smith aside it wasn't good.
JET for Anderson not sure we got a good deal. I like Hyam but as a replacement when needed for Skuse. We need pace ,width and creativity.
An average Barnsley team made us look like League 1 team in the 2nd half.
Come on Mick most of us believe in you so please do something to push us on!?
This simply isn't good enough.

martleshamitfc added 22:31 - Nov 1 after the very poor 1st half, there was some light when we scored just before HT, normally a sign to go on and win easily against a lowly side in the relagation zone and no away win since February, HOW WRONG! what a crap 2nd half and no tactics from the touchline to change it. the only pleasing thing was a decent crowd.
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Sindre94 added 22:31 - Nov 1 Very disappointed. We were awful
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DurhamTownFan added 22:31 - Nov 1

1: NEVER a penalty in a million years (Nouble, that's poor, mate).

2: We will never finish higher than mid table unless we start trying to play some proper (i.e., non long-ball) football. The only time we tried to string some passes together in the second half led to Chambers' decent shot. There is NO excuse for playing scrappy stuff at home to a side in the bottom three.

Lightningboy added 22:32 - Nov 1

Thought we started really slowly,then picked up for the last 20 minutes of the 1st half BUT what the hell did they put in our half time tea?..we were abysmal in that 2nd half,second to absolutely every ball,couldn't put 3 passes together,just launching the ball upfield every single time.

Mick's stabilised our club and I thank him for that ,but If this is what we're going to be churning out under him & TC then the Irish are welcome to him.

It's frightening how far backwards our "style" of play has gone since Magilton left...I know not many of you wanted him but he had the club's footballing legacy at heart..those days seem long ago.

runaround added 22:32 - Nov 1

Absolutely awful performance, only one team played any football and it wasn't ITFC. Barnsley at least attempted to pass the ball whilst all we did was aimlessly hoof the ball forward which made it easy for Barnsley. I can barely remember us putting together a passing move & whilst we defended fairly well, our midfield offered nothing & the strikers had little to work with but were also poor. Set pieces aside we created nothing against a team who haven't kept a clean sheet in months.
It was painful to watch. I hope that it was just a poi performance rather than following orders as if that's how Mick wants us to play then it's going to be awful. I could understand if we were winning matches as a result of those tactics but it's now 1 win in the last 7 matches I believe.
I hated it tonight & really considering cashing in my ticket for Blackpool match next week as I fear more of the same. Please Mick, get them to pass it on the floor

homer1973 added 22:34 - Nov 1 Oh dear oh dear
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chepstowblue added 22:36 - Nov 1

Frankly im embarressed by that showing. If id witnessed another team in our division playing like that id call them relegation fodder and with Blackpool and Leicester coming up we may just suffer a battering somewhere soon. I expect a mixture of football under MM but the midfield has been completely bypassed for the last 2games,so much so that its become irrelevant whos in there.No constructive build up to the play,wellie it forward and hope for a set piece situation! Lowest ebb tonight.

RetroBlue added 22:36 - Nov 1 Utter garbage Mick! You need to grow some ( your words) and try attacking opponents for a change. God knows , we might actually WIN a game !!
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nerdys added 22:44 - Nov 1

Ipswich play Nice football, But we cannot Kill the game..Been in this division the longest and i think we will remain here for quite a while until we learn to kill off teams.
Scotland was sooo unlucky not to score on his left foot after 85 mins..
Barnsley loose there last 6 Away games !!! yet come to portman road and we will give you a Point !!!
Tabb done well but i think ITFC are living on the Edge...

brittaniaman added 22:46 - Nov 1

what a terrible game for all the nation plus to see,, and Mick how do you expect the subs to get in to the game with 10 mins. left to play ??? we could all see that the team need refreshing !!! it is nice to keep the same team every week if they were playing well ?? and why call Taylor back to give him 10mins. ????? at least he would have had a full game tomorrow at Peterboro had he stayed there !!!!
YOU have a full week to sort it out away to Blackpool which will be a harder game than we saw tonight ???? we will be lucky to get a point from them..

chrisbobs added 22:48 - Nov 1

Convinced Mick is the right man (and far, far better than we would ever get as a replacement too) but the 2nd half performance tonight was unacceptable & back to the bad old days of PJ & RK. No passion, no desire to win or control the ball (against Barnsley,&at home, FFS!!!) - and all on national TV too! Personal view is that Hyam is dropped,with Tabb wide left, & Tunnicliffe in the middle.

Daleyitfc added 22:50 - Nov 1 Cresswell sent off for swearing at the ref about a challenge that was so far away from being a penalty that it wasn't in the same county? Sack him.
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Jimmy86 added 23:00 - Nov 1

Judging by that performance its no wonder we dont feature much on sky sports. Dont like to be negative but it was lacklustre, boring and poor from town tonight and barnsley deserved their equaliser. Mick really got it wrong tonight, as demonstrated when he took dids off. Long ball football, no plan b, same 4 4 2 system, same changes and too late in the game to affect anything. Couldnt string 3 passes together either. Whether it was a penalty or not was debatable, you dont get much from d'urso as wel all know, we have to cling to fact it might have been a pen to mask the fact we were poor. Shame coz 3 points there for the taking

BillBlue added 23:01 - Nov 1 The most frustrating thing today is the amount of good common sense being displayed by the FAI, a pity!
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HALLSJ added 23:01 - Nov 1

Went Bolton last Sat, very poor.
Watched tonight on my Pc, cost me a tenner what a sh... 2nd half, to be frank the first 25 wasn't any better.
Major changes needed for nxt game, cant see 3 pts coming from anywhere. Gets Taylor back plays last 10mins what was the point of that, Tabb looked knackered after 5mins, as for Cresswell premiership target, poor at Bolton and again tonight. Really disappointed.....

StochesStotasBlewe added 23:03 - Nov 1 Tactically inept in the 2nd half. What the f### does MM say at half time. Shocking performance 2nd half. Very lucky to even get a point. The CLUB is going backwards. Barnsley were bottom 3, we are no better, very worrying. I expect Mick will be delighted with the point. well, we are NOT.
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muccletonjoe added 23:03 - Nov 1 Like it or not we ARE in another relegation fight
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TimmyH added 23:05 - Nov 1 @blues1 - well on tonight's account your right, but isn't that only because we had a promotion and kids in for £1?
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HALLSJ added 23:07 - Nov 1

HALLSJ added 23:14 - Nov 1 Like muckletons picture of Mick and Terry look happy dont they, at least they get paid for the suffering....garbage and Mick says he isnt changing the team cus they're playing well 'are they' specsavers Michael willbook you an appointment
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